Idaho National Laboratory Environmental Monitoring Plan

3. EFFLUENT MONITORING
Operations of INL Site facilities have the potential to release pollutants such as radioactive and
nonradioactive contaminants into the environment. These pollutants can enter the atmosphere as airborne
effluents and can enter surface and groundwater as liquid effluents or storm water runoff via injection
wells. The following subsections summarize the effluent monitoring currently conducted by various
organizations at the INL Site.
3.1 Airborne Effluent
Regulated facilities at the INL Site are required, under Public Law 91-604 (Reference 14) and
IDAPA 58.01.01 (Reference 15), to measure and estimate airborne effluents. These facilities include:
AMWTP
CFA
INTEC
CITRC
MFC
RWMC
TAN
RTC
SMC
IRC (INL Research Center)
Comment [ps1]: not defined before
One Tier I Operating Permit and 16 Permits to Construct air emission sources have been granted by
the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). These permits include specific sources at the
various INL Site facilities. Additionally, the IRC in Idaho Falls operates under PER-110, “Tier I
Operating Permit.” 17
Numerous stack emissions are monitored for radioactive pollutants, but specific stack emission
monitoring depends on the facility source term. Some monitoring is required by regulation or DOE order,
and some monitoring is conducted as a best management practice or for facility information. Where
monitoring is performed, emissions are normally sampled prior to abatement; otherwise, emissions are
estimated on the basis of engineering calculations or process knowledge.
Continuous monitoring is required for emission points that have a potential to emit radionuclides in
quantities that could result in an effective dose equivalent (EDE) to a member of the public in excess of
0.1 millirem per year, which is 1% of the of 10 millirem per year specified by 40 CFR 61, Subpart H
(Reference 16).
Monitoring for compliance and screening purposes is conducted in accordance with the guidance of
40 CFR 61, Appendix B, “Method 114,” 18 ANSI N13.1, “Sampling and Monitoring Releases of Airborne
Radioactive Substances from Stacks and Ducts of Energy Facilities,” 19 and the air monitoring
recommendations of DOE/EH-0173T, “Environmental Regulatory Guide for Radiological Effluent
Monitoring and Environmental Surveillance.” 20
The contractor associated with each permitted facility at the INL Site is responsible for airborne
effluent monitoring at their facility. Figure 3-1 shows the locations of those emission points (sources) that
3-1 Effluent Monitoring